DutchNews, September 3,
2015
More than 100 Dutch celebrities,
politicians and business leaders have taken out a full page advert in
Thursday’s Telegraaf calling for a ‘humane solution’ to the ongoing refugee
crisis.
Actress Carice van Houten, television presenter Wendy van Dijk, musical
star Chantal Jansen, Rijksmuseum head Wim Pijpes and KPMG boss Jan Hommen are
among the signatories to the statement which calls on politicians and the
community to work together to solve the problem.
‘Do you hear the call?’ the
advert asks. The refugee crisis has taken on ‘unimaginable dimensions’, the
statement continues. Politicians and large parts of the community are reacting
to the crisis using an old-fashioned approach ‘while the situation requires a
total change,’ the celebrities say.
There is a risk that we will reduce our
responsibility to doing as little as possible, the statement says. ‘But we have
to ask ourselves if we will end up being the society which we would like to be…
Let us work together with wisdom and compassion to come up with a humane
solution. You can call on us.’
Housing
Meanwhile, the head of the Dutch refugee
settlement agency on Thursday urged local councils to do more to find housing to
cope with the influx of new refugees.
‘We are currently taking care of almost
30,000 people,’ Gerard Bakker told news agency ANP. ‘But 1,800 people are
arriving every week and we urgently need to open new centres.’
So far 70
locations have been set up where refugees can live and Bakker said talks are
under way with a further 120 local councils.
‘I can understand that some
communities feel overwhelmed by the new arrivals,’ Bakker said, adding that
there is always security on site and that officials are willing to solve
problems together with locals.
‘No petrol bombs are being thrown through the
windows here, as has happened in Germany,’ he said. ‘And I am proud of
that.’
Soul-searching: heart-rending photo of drowned toddler shows cost of Europe's migrant crisis http://t.co/z4jFW5aF3v pic.twitter.com/vkle4cbLU8
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) 3 september 2015
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